1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to amusement games and, in particular, to an interactive amusement game in which the player attempts to control the selection of random numbers in order to form a match, the player and operator are electrically interconnected providing the player with an instantaneous readout as to the quantity of his bank and the quantity of accumulated points and providing the operator with instantaneous information regarding the number of players, the identity of the cards being played by the players, and the amount of money deposited on a particular game.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The game of Bingo is a popular game in which a player attempts to match randomly drawn numbers with random numbers on a playing card in order to obtain a match either vertically, horizontally, diagonally or pattern-wise in order to win money or prizes. Traditionally, the random numbers selected in Bingo are manually selected from a rotating barrel and announced by the operator of the game. The operator controls the sale of the playing cards and the collection of money and the disbursement-of prizes in a substantially manual operation.
Applicant has developed an interactive game along the lines of Bingo in which the player's playing position is interconnected with the control panel and operator of the game and both are interactively connected witch a central processing unit. Additionally, the design of the game allows the player to attempt to selectively control the selection of a random number from a spinning wheel or spinning indicia about a stationary wheel on which the indicia of numbers are positioned. The player's position is fully automated with a money acceptor(s), prize dispenser(s) which, dependent upon their function, dispense an award in the form of tickets, coins, tokens, or printed receipts, a display which informs the player of the amount in his bank, the amount of points accumulated, and the quantity of cards played,, a bar code reader which reads a bar code on a playing card, this information being stored in random access memory (RAM) and confirmed to the control panel that the card is in play, and a start button, and a stop button utilized by the player in an attempt to selectively control the random selection of numbers on the wheel located at the control panel, and a call button for assistance. Two additional buttons perform replay and cancel functions.
Applicant has fully automated what was once a manual operation which allows the player to interact in the game itself in attempting to start and stop the spinning indicia or wheel in order to obtain the desired random number while at the same time providing the operator with a complete readout of the identity and number of cards being played for a particular game, the amount of money which has been deposited to play the particular game, and which can further set the amount of the payout for a particular game based on the number of players and deliver to the appropriate players the indicia of their winning in the form of a ticket(s), coin(s), token(s), printed receipt(s) or credit.
The benefits of the system are that the operator now has greater control over the game from the standpoint of having an instantaneous readout and knowledge of the number of players, the number of cards in play and the amount of money deposited. The operator also has an instantaneous checkouts with respect to the validity of a win as a result of the bar code reader reading the identity of the card and storing the contents of that card in the RAM.
The player has a more interactive interest in the game since the player from his playing position attempts to start and stop the wheel based on the random numbers on the player's playing card in an attempt to obtain the numbers which the player needs, in order to complete the required line or pattern. As will be explained hereafter, the system is designed so that a plurality of players will be attempting to start and stop the wheel at a predesignated location which will provide the particular player with the number which he or she desires. However, the system is controlled such that only one signal from one player desk will be selected in order to control the wheel.